Refrigeration



H. K. BERGHOLM Dec. 16, 1941.

' REFRIGERATION Filed Dec. 8, 1939 INVENTOR. 37 BY 6% Au. ATTORNEY.

- tends upwardly therefrom.

Patented Dec. 16, 1941 REFRIGERATION Harry K. Bergholm, Stockholm, Sweden, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application December 8, 1939, Serial No. 308, 118

' In Germany December 14, 1938 3 Claims.

My invention relates to refrigeration and more particularly to a continuous absorption refrigeration system containing inert auxiliary fluid to provide equalization of pressure throughout the system.

An object of the invention is to improve the capacity and efficiency of such a system under high load conditions. This is accomplished by trapping refrigerant fluid out of circulation to decrease the average concentration of solution under high load conditions. This results in increased capacity as known. The decrease in concentration of solution introduces a requirement of more rectification of generated vapors. requirement is met by utilizing the trapped refrigerant fluid for cooling the generated vapors.

tion will appear upon consideration of the following description and accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and of which the single figure shows more or less diagrammatically a refrigeration system embodying the invention.

Referring to the drawing, reference character l designates a generator which includes a flue ll surrounded by a jacket I2. The flue is arranged to be heated in any suitable manner, as.

by the gas burner I3. A conduit 14 communicates with the upper part of the generator and ex- At least a portion of this conduit isprovided with heat transfer fins l5, thus forming a rectifier. Conduit I4 extends within. achamber I 6 and-opens into the upper part of this chamber. A conduit ll connects the upper end of chamber with the upper end of an air cooled condenser It.

The lower end of condenser I8 is connected by means ofa conduit I9 with the upper end of This The lower end of an air cooled absorber 26 is also connected to the upper part of receptacle 25, while the upper end of the absorber is connected by means of a conduit 2? witha space- 28 formed in one end of the gas heat exchanger 23. Tubes 29, which extend through the space 22, connect the space 28 with a similar space 30 in the other end of the heat exchanger, while a conduit 3! connects this latter space with the end of the condenser l8 and thence downwardly to communicate with one end of a pressure vessel 33. A conduit 34 connects the opposite end of this vessel with the space 22 in the heat' exchanger. A conduit 35 connects the lower-part of vessel 33 with the chamber Hi, this conduit preferably being formed to provide a liquid trap.

A conduit 36 connects the lower part of recep- I tacle 25 with the inner pipe 31 of a liquid heat exchanger 38. The opposite end of pipe 31 is connected to the lower end of a coil 39 which is arranged in heat exchange relation with the A conduit 40 connects the upper end of coil-39 with the upper part of generator l2. The operation of the above described device is as follows;

The generator contains a solution of refrigerant, such as ammonia, dissolved in a liquid absorption medium, such as water. The application of heat to this solution causes the ammonia to be driven off in the form of a gas. "Some water isunavoidably vaporized and-the mixture of ammonia vapor and water vapor passes from the generator through the conduit 14. This mixture, is cooled somewhat by the transfer of heat therefrom through the fins Hi to the atmosphere. The cooling capacity-of the fins I5 forming the rectifier is so selected that undercertain atmospheric vapor is separated from the refrigerant and runs changer 23. A conduit 24 connects the other end of space 22 with the upper-part of a receptacle 25.

back through the conduit I4 in liquid form to the generator. The substantially pure refrigerant-vapor passes to the chamber l6 and thence throughthe conduit I! to the condenser 18.

In'the condenser thetemperature of the gaseperature conditions, all of the refrigerant vapor will be liquefied the'evaporator.

,The liquid refrigerant flows from the lower end of the condenser through the conduit I! to the upper. end of the evaporator 20, where it meets an inert gas, such as hydrogen, which is supplied through the conduit 3|. In accordance with Daltons law, the partial pressure of the ammonia is reduced due to the presence of the hydrogen, with the result that the ammonia evaporates and cools the evaporator and the space within the refrigerator cabinet 2|. The gaseous mixture of ammonia and hydrogen, formed in the evaporator, passes therefrom into the space "22 of the heat exchanger 23 and thence through the conduit 23 into the receptacle 25, and enters the lower end of the absorber 26. In the absorber this gaseous mixture is brought into intimate contact with weak absorption liquid supplied through (the conduit" 43, with the result that the ammonia is absorbed while the hydrogen, being substantially insoluble in water, passes through the absorber, the conduit 21, the space 23, the tubes 23, the space 30 and the conduit 3i to the upper end of th'e evaporator. The heat resulting from the absorption is transferred to the atmosphere by means of the fins on the absorber.

The strong solution formed in the absorber flows from the lower end thereof into receptacle 25, whence it passes through the conduit 33 and pipe 31 of the liquid heat exchanger 38 'to the coil 39. "The application ofheat to the strong solution in the coil 39 causes the formation of gas bubbles therein which lift the unvaporized portion through the conduit 40 to the upper part of the generator.

As previously described, the application of heat to the solution in the generator drives of! ammonia gas so that, by the time the solution has reached the lower end of the generator it is weak. This weak solution flows through con-'- duit ll, space 42 in the liquid heat exchanger 38 and conduit 43 to the upper end of the absorber 26.

Should there be an increase in the temperature of the air relied upon to cool the rectifier l5,

condenser l3 and absorber 26, a portion of the refrigerant will pass through the condenser I8 without being liquefied. Thisvaporous ammonia flows through the conduit 32 to the vessel 33.

which, under normal operating conditions, is

filled with substantially pure hydrogen. The in- 50 troduction of the ammonia into the vessel 33 displaces hydrogen therefrom, which flows through the conduit 34 and enters the evaporator-absorber circuit. The result is that the pressure in the system is increased, thus enabling the refrigerant in the condenser to be liquefied at a higher temperature.

- The surface of the vessel 33 -transfers heat to the atmosphere and becomes, in effect, an auxiliary condenser wherein vaporous refrigerant is liquefied. The liquid ammonia flows through the conduit 35 to the chamber l6, where it is in heat exchange relation with the vapor flowing through conduit II. The presence of the liquid refrigerant in chamber l6 serves to cool the gaseous mixture in the pipe M, with the result that the water vapor is liquefied. Refrigerant vaporized in the chamber it passes therefrom through the conduit I] back to the condenser. Should there be more refrigerant supplied to the chamber l6 than evaporates therein, the excess will overflow the upper end of conduit l4 and return to the generator.

As is well known, the capacity of the system is increased if the concentration of the solution is reduced. This is accomplished in the present apparatus by the removal of the refrigerant, which is collected in the chamber it, from the normal cycle. In other words, the refrigerant in lo the chamber I6 is prevented from reaching the absorption medium in the generator l0 and the absorber 26, and consequently the concentration of this solution is reduced.

when the air temperature again falls to normal, gaseous refrigerant ceases to issue from the lower end of the condenser and hence no more ammonia gas is supplied to the vessel 33. The liquid ammonia present in the chamber l6 continues to evaporate and thus reenters the main cycle and increases the average concentration of the absorption solution. Due to the fact that the condenser is now able to liquefy all of the refrigerant supplied thereto, the pressure in the system falls and the apparatus continues to operate in a normal manner.

While I have shown a more or less specific embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this has been done for the purpose of illustration only, and is not to be considered as limiting the scope of my invention, which is-to be determined by the following claims.

What is claimed is: 1. In absorption refrigerating apparatus, a circuit for absorption liquid including an 1b- 5 sorber and a generator, a condenser, a. circuit for inert pressure equalizing gas including an evaporator and said absorber, a vessel connected to said condenser and to said gas circuit and serving'as a storage chamber for a reserve sup- 4 ply of said inert gas, and conduit means forming a path of flow for vapor from said generator to said condenser, and a pathof flow for condensed liquid from said chamber to said liquid circuit, said paths of fiow being at least in part in heat exchange relation.

2. In absorption refrigerating apparatus, a generator, a condenser, a circuit for inert pressure equalizing gas including an evaporator and an absorber, a vessel connected to said condenser and to said gas circuit and serving as a storage chamber for-a reserve supply of said inert gas, and conduit means forming a path of flow for vapor from said generator to said condenser, and a path of flow for condensed liquid from said chamber to said generator, said paths of flow being at least in part in heat exchange relation.

3. In absorption refrigerating apparatus, a circuit for absorption liquid including an absorber and a generator, a condenser, a circuit for inert pressure equalizing gas including an evaporator and said absorber, a vessel connected to said condenser and to said gas circuit and serving as a storage chamber fora reserve supply of said inert gas, and conduit means including a liquid cooled rectifier for conducting vapor from said generator to said condenser and condenser: liquid from said chamber to said liquid circu v HARRYK. BERGHOLM. 

